The Singing Competition Amber Riley Got Rejected By Before Glee

Publish date: 2024-05-08

While Amber Riley rose to star status in 2009 while on "Glee," she had actually auditioned for another Fox musical series years before that: "American Idol." In 2009, she spoke to Access Online about the audition, which she said took place when she was 17, which would have been around the show's second or third season in 2003. "They told me, 'No,'" she said, adding that she didn't even get to meet the memorable judges at the time, as she had been rejected by the producers before she even had the chance to get to that round. However, given her success on "Glee," she unsurprisingly seemed to not be upset by the incident. "You know what?" she said, "I still work on Fox and I get paid! Thank you, 'American Idol!'"

In 2021, Riley seemed to feel the same, telling PopSugar that the rejection helped her deal with the reality of the entertainment business, which she would grow to become very familiar with in her later life. "I think it was still a great experience," she said, adding that she "needed that disappointment. I needed it to understand there's always someone working hard ... It helped me grow, to be honest." 

Once again, she thanked "American Idol" for the rejection. 

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